Cutter



Oct. 23, 1934. J w|KL| FFE 7 1,977,870

CUTTER Filed Sept. 16,.1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l fir'y-l Y J01? K. makzzfke INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 23, 1934. J. K. WICKLIFFE 1,977,370

CUTTER Filed Sept. 16. 1932 5 Sheets- Sheet 3 1 d 436 27 0 16 k 16 21 jg 57 2d Au- (9. MAW

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23, 1934 John K. Wickliif dustrial Patents Cor corporation of CUTTER e, Chicago, 111., assignor to Inporation, Chicago, Ill., a

Delaware Application September 16, 1932, Serial No. 633,478

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a cutter for cutting cellophane and other wrapping material. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical and efficient cutter of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction, designed principally for cutting cellophane on a wrapping table where it is designed to use varying lengths of cellophane because of differences of the sizes of the pieces to be wrapped and equipped with a reciprocating knife and adapted on the return stroke of the knife to feed 'the cellophane automatically forward from a roll whereby a portion of thecellophane will always be in convenient position to be grasped by the 0perator for drawing the desired length from the roll preparatory to the cutting operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cutter of this character adapted to be actuated by the foot of the operator, thereby leaving both of the hands of the operator free for wrapping the pieces of product or other articles. With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the,

claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cutter constructedin accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a central Vertical sectional View of the cutter.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the cutting and feeding mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation-of the same.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the in vention, the cutter which is designed for cutting wrapping material such as cellophane, comprises nor angle ironfr'ont and rear standards 1 and 2, upper and lower horizontal side connecting bars 3 and 4 and horizontally disposed transverse connecting bars 5, 6 and '7, but the supporting frame may of course, be of any other preferred construction, as will be readily understood. The front stand= ards which are extended above the planeof the upper ends of therear standards have secured to them horizontal angle bars 8 extending rearward- 1y from the front standards for supporting a table in its construction a supporting frame having cortop 9 secured to the said bars 8 and to the front transverse connecting bar 5 by bolts or other suitable fastening devices. In practice, the table top will be preferably provided with a suitable scale graduated in inches to enable the cellophane 10 to be measured when desired.

The cellophane is arranged in the form of a roll 11 which is supported by a transverse shaft 12 extending through the center of the roll and having its ends supported in approximately hookshaped bearing hangers 13 secured to and depending from the upper horizontal side connecting bars 3. The roll of cellophane is located at the rear portion of the cutter and the sheet 10 extends upwardly from the roll at the back of the cutter and is adapted to be drawn forwardly over the table top by the operator.

Mounted upon the rear portions of the side connecting bars 3 are tapered pedestals 14 secured to the upper ends of the rear standards which project slightly above the bars 3, as clearly illustrated in Fig.2 of the drawings. The pedestals 14 which constitute a portion of the supporting frame are provided with horizontal upper edges 15 forming guides and supporting the ends of a reciprocating knife 16 which bridges the rear portion of the frame of the cutter. The knife 16 which extends transversely entirely across the frame of the cutter is provided at its ends with enlargements 17 extending below the lower face of the effective portion of the cutter and slidable in the guides formed by the upper edges of the pedestals. The v pedestals are recessed at their upper edges to form the guides 15 and to provide projecting lugs 18 located at the front ends of the guides and provided with openings 19 for the reception of parallel slidable rods 20 which extend through the said lugs and also through openings 21 in the enlargements 17 of the knife. The rear ends of the rods 20 are also slidable in openings 22 of lugs or enlargements 23 of a fixed blade or knife 24. 'I'he movable knife is adjustably clamped to the rods 20 by set screws 16 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The fi'xed blade or knife 24 is secured at its ends in recesses 25 in the rear edges of the pedestals at the top thereof by screws 26 or other suitable fastening devices and it is provided at the top with a cutting edge 27 with which the slidable reciprocating knife 16 cooperates.

The cellophane passes'upward from the roll 11 and extends between the front face of the fixed blade and a feeding roll 28 of rubber or other suitable material mounted on a transverse shaft 29 which is journaled in suitable bearing openings of ?i" sure is removed from the the pedestals 14. One end of the shaft 29 is extended beyond the adjacent pedestal and has fixed to it a ratchet wheel 30 which is engaged by a pivoted actuating pawl 31 carried by the reciprocating knife 16 at one end thereof and secured to the same by a suitable pivot 32. The pawl 31 is maintained in position for engaging the ratchet wheel by means of a spring 33 which holds the pawl normally against a stop 34 projecting from the adjacent enlargement of the reciprocating knife, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The stop 34 supports the depending engaging portion of the pawl normally in an inclined position and the spring permits the pawl to ratchet over the ratchet wheel'30 in the forward or cutting movement of the knife 16 and at the same time causes the pawl to engage the ratchet wheel and partially rotate the same and the roll 28 during the backward or return movement of the knife 16. This causes an upward feeding of the cellophane during the return movement of the knife so that a portion of the cellophane will always be in position to be readily grasped by the operator for drawing the desired length of cello phane from the roll 11. The ends of the knife 16 are provided with recesses 35 to receive the projecting lugs 23 of the fixed knife and enable the cutting edge of the movable knife to extend over the cutting edge 27 of the fixed knife for effectively severing portions of the cellophane from the continuous sheet fed from the roll 11. I

The front ends of the slidable rods 20 are connected by a transverse bar 36 and coiled springs 37 are disposed on the slidable rods and are interposed between the ends of the bar 36 and the lugs 18 for effecting a positive return movement of the reciprocating knife. The forward or cutting movement of the knife is effected by means of a foot lever 38 fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on a transverse rod 39 and provided at its front end with a treadle plate 40 adapted to be de pressed by the foot of the operator. The rear end of the foot lever is connected bya link 41 with a transverse rod 42 connecting two of the arms of a pair of bell crank levers 43 which have their other arms connected with the transverse bar 36'and the slidable rods 20. The bell crank levers are fulcrumed at their angles on the pedestals 14 at the inner faces-thereof by suitable pivots 44 and when the treadle plate 40 is depressed by. the foot of the operator the transverse rod 42 will be moved upwardly and the knife 16 will be actuated in its cutting movement. One arm of eachbell crank lever 43 extends forwardly from its pivot 44 and its other arm extends upwardly, to the connecting bar 36. The rearward swinging of the upwardly extending arms of the bell crank levers operate to compress the coiled springs 37 which return the knife 16 to its initial position when the prestreadle plate 40. The treadle plate 40 is preferably formed integral with the foot lever, but it may be constructed in any other desired manner and the pivot rod 39 of the foot lever extends across the frame at the bottom thereof and is secured to the lower side' connecting bars 4.

The rear edge of the table 9 is located slightly in advance of the horizontal longitudinally slidable rods 20 and is arranged to form a stop or abutment for the upwardly extending arms 43 of the bell crank levers to limit the forward movement of the knife 16. This will prevent the knife from contacting with the front lugs 18 and the adjustment of the knife on the rod'by the set screw 16 will not be affected by the impactin- 1,977,870 cident to the actuation of the knife 16 by the coiled springs.

The foot lever is provided intermediate its ends with a depending ear 45 and the rear end of the foot lever is connected to the lower end of the link 41 by a suitable pivot 46.

The table top 9 projects forwardly in advance of the upper ends of the front standards and is in a convenient position for wrapping pieces of meat products and other articles and the desired length of the cellophane sheet may be readily drawn from the roll 11 and quickly severed by a downward pressure of the foot of the operator on the treadle plate 40. The automatic feeding of the cellophanesheet during the return movement of the knife always insures the end of the sheet being in proper position to be grasped by the operator.

What is claimed is:

1. A cutter of the class described including a frame provided at the top with Dcdestalshaving horizontal guiding faces and provided at the front ends thereof with upwardly projecting lugs, a fixed blade secured to the pedestals at the back thereof and having projecting lugs located at the rear ends of the horizontal guiding faces in alignment with the front lugs, a horizontal knife extending across the frame and slidable backwardly and forwardly on'said guiding faces betweenthe front and rear lugs, parallel horizontal rods slidable in and guided by said lugs and piercing the ends of the movable knife, means for adjustably securing the knife to the rods, and means for reciprocating the movable knife.

2. A cutter of the class described including a frame provided at the top with pedestals having. horizontal guiding faces and provided at the front ends thereof with upwardly projecting lugs, a fixed blade secured to the pedestals at the back thereof and having projecting lugs located at the rear ends of the horizontal guiding faces in alignment with the front lugs, a horizontal knife extending across the frame and slidable backwardly and forwardly on said guiding faces between the front and rear lugs, parallel horizontal rods slidable in and. guided by said lugs and piercing the ends of the movable knife, means for adjustably securing the knife tothe rods, coiled springs disposed on the rods for moving the same forwardly, and operating means connected with the rods for moving the same rearwardly.

3. A cutter of the class described including a frame provided at the top with pedestals having horizontal guiding faces and provided at the front ends thereof with upwardly projecting lugs, a fixed blade secured to the pedestals at the back thereof and having projecting lugs located at the rear ends of. the horizontal guiding faces in alignment with the front lugs, a horizontal knife extending across the frame and slidable backwardly and forwardly on said guiding faces between the front and rear lugs, parallel horizontal rods slidable in and guided by said lugs and piercing the ends of the movable knife,rmeans for adjustably securing the knife to the rods, coiled springs disposed on the rods for moving the same forwardly, operating means connected with the rods for moving the same rearwardly. a table located in advance of the slidable rods, and means for feeding wrapping material between the knives comprising a pawl mounted directly on and carried by the movable knife, and a ratchet wheel arranged to be partially rotated by the pawl during one of themovements of the knife.

4. A cutter ofthe class described including a frame provided at the to -orizontal guiding face front ends thereof with a fixed blade secured to thereof and having proj rear ends of the hori alignment with the fro extending across the Wardly and forwardly tween the front and re rods slidable in and piercing the ends of th adjustably securing th p with pedestals having s and provided at the upwardly projecting lugs, the pedestals at the back ecting lugs located at the zontal guiding faces in nt lugs, a horizontal knife frame and slidable backon said guiding faces bear lugs, parallel horizontal guided by said lugs and e movable knife, means for e knife to the rods, coiled springs disposed on the rods for moving the same forwardly, operating means connected with the front ends of the rods for moving the knife rearwardly,. a table located in advance of the rods and arranged to be engaged by the operating mechanism for limiting the forward movement of the rods, and means for feeding wrapping material between the knives comprising a pawl pivoted directly to the knife and carried by the same, and a ratchet Wheel arranged to be partially rotated by the pawl during the forward movement of the movable knife.

JOHN K. WICKLIFFE. 

